Imperial cocaine bandits

Chávez has, apparently, accused the US of selling cocaine at "below-market prices" in the barrios of Caracas as a means of destabilising Venezuela. This accusation is bizarre as it gives the impression that the US is muscling in on his territory - as if Chávez wants to be the only coke-dealing big daddy in THIS neighbourhood!

Of all the extreme accusation he's come out with, this has to be one of the more unusual ones. It undermines the credibility of his rhetoric and means people are more willing to dismiss what he says, even when he is in fact right.

Just take the whole Farc issue. Chávez had a real opportunity to denounce the many human rights abuses of the Uribe administration by staying as neutral as possible and pressing for a peaceful solution, thus highlighting the failure of the Colombian government to resolve the country's problems.

But instead he has affiliated himself with the Farc rebels and opened himself up to criticism that he aids and abets terrorists. This in itself is an exaggerated claim from hysterical rightwingers but why give your opponents the opportunity to label you in this way if it can be so easily avoided?

As I have always said, Chávez is his own worst enemy.